Politics

5, August 2016

Pan-African Parliament: MPs hold political discourse on terrorism ⁰

Secretaries from more than half of African national assemblies have met in South Africa for their annual conference. The elected representatives are to discuss the benefits of ratifying African Union treaties notably the new protocol of the Pan-African Parliament.

Earlier, members of the committee on cooperation, international relations and conflict resolutions of the Pan-African Parliament were urged to improve the continent’s response to terrorism by making it a national priority.

Professors Magloire Ondoua and Vincent Ntuda Ebode from Cameroon were guest-speakers at both events.
The Pan African parliamentarians expressed outrage at repeated armed attacks on some of their colleagues. The MPs staged a protest against the violence.

The two Cameroonian Professors, Joseph Vincent Ntouda Ebode and Magloire Ondoa educated parlementarians, Secretary Generals and Presidents of parliaments of the continent on the challenges to be surmounted in the fight against terrorism. The discourse on terrorism was in view of the full activation of the legislative powers of the continental parliament.

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4, August 2016

Race for the White House: Hillary Clinton enjoying financial support from billionaires ⁰

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is enjoying financial support from a growing list of American billionaires who oppose Republican nominee Donald Trump.

According to a recent report by Fox News, the former secretary of state’s presidential campaign has so far received more than $42.5 million in donations from a total of 24 billionaires.

So far, movie producers Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, financiers Warren Buffett and George Soros, and Walmart heiress Alice Walton have all made contributions to the former first lady’s campaign.

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey (pictured below) has also thrown her weight behind Clinton. Haim Saban is another media magnate that will support Clinton in the battle against Trump.

Billionaire environmentalist Thomas Steyer joined the list and endorsed Clinton in early June. Some of the multimillionaires have donated millions to a top Clinton superPAC named Priorities USA Action.Saban ($10 million), Soros ($7 million), hedge fund billionaire James Simons ($7 million), Hyatt Hotel heir J.B. Pritzker and his wife Mary Kathryn Pritzker ($6.5 million), Slim-Fast founder S. Daniel Abraham ($3 million), Hedge fund billionaire David Shaw ($2.25 million), investors Jon and Pat Stryker ($1.5 million each), Spielberg ($1 million), Legendary Entertainment founder and CEO Thomas Tull ($1 million), and the list goes on.

Jewish movie producer and director Steven Spielberg

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg are some of the other major figures who are siding with Clinton.

In addition to the pro-Clinton billionaires, some of the Republican-leaning tycoons have announced that that they will not support Trump as the party nominee.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, for instance, has joined industrial power-brokers Charles and David Koch in withdrawing support from fellow GOP billionaire Trump.

Whitman has pushed the envelope even further by stating that she will endorse and help fund Clinton.

In addition to Priorities USA Action, million have been paid to other Clinton funds Hillary for America and Hillary Victory Fun. Pro-Clinton such as PACs American Bridge 21st Century, Priorities USA Action 2016 and Correct the Record have also received huge donations.

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4, August 2016

After student motion of support: Biya heading for early re-election ⁰

All the lights are now green in Cameroon for a possible re- election of the 83 years old Cameroonian dictator. After multiple calls teleguided by members of the CPDM crime syndicate and facing an opposition that has ran short of ideas and extremely lacking political finesse, President Paul Biya now has the backing of the student community.

The students have stormed the streets of the nation to say “thank you” to the head of state, for promising to make available 500 000 computer laptops to them. The 75 billion CFA francs is a loan that the Francophone Beti-Ewondo head of state has contracted with the Peoples Republic of China, spread over a repayment period of 20 to 25 years.

Our source at the presidency of the republic hinted that the repayment of the 75 billion FCFA will run until 2036 and could be rescheduled in 2041. Staff man Cham Victor Bama, who contributed to this report observed that in every country in the world, students are always in the opposition. He added that “The reaction coming from the student community is politically motivated.” What is evidently clear is that President will seek another mandate soon.

2, August 2016

UK Labour Party leadership crisis: Jeremy Corbyn slowly but surely chasing away the Blairites ⁰

UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says the challenge to his leadership has created a “massive opportunity” to unite people across the country. Addressing up to 10,000 of his supporters at a campaign event in Liverpool on Monday, Corbyn said the ongoing battle for leadership in the party provides an opportunity to unite Britons against the “Tory philosophy.”

“I don’t see this leadership contest as a distraction,” said Corbyn. “I see it as a massive opportunity to reach out to people all across this country and have the strength and confidence [to stand up to] those who tell us that nothing we’re trying to do is possible, that what we have to do is compromise with the Tory philosophy and free market ideas and all will be well.”

Corbyn, who needs to beat former BBC producer Owen Smith in order to keep his throne as the opposition leader, described the audience as the largest crowd he had at a leadership campaign rally.

“This is a campaign about, on one level, the leadership of the Labour Party, but it’s also a campaign about how we do politics in our society,” he noted, before getting more specific about issues such as mental health services, workers’ rights and homelessness.

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28, July 2016

Obama says Hillary Clinton more qualified to be president ⁰

US President Barack Obama has strongly endorsed Hillary Clinton as his successor, saying she is more qualified to be president of the United States than Bill Clinton or himself. The former secretary of state is a “leader with real plans to break down barriers, blast through glass ceilings, and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American, the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton,” Obama said in a speech at the packed Democratic National Convention center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesday night.

“That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman — not me, not Bill, nobody — more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America,” he added. He said “nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office, but Hillary’s been in the room.”

“I know Hillary won’t relent until ISIL is destroyed. She’ll finish the job – and she’ll do it without resorting to torture, or banning entire religions from entering our country. She is fit to be the next commander in chief,” he said, referring to the Daesh terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

Obama went on to say that “we’re going to carry Hillary to victory this fall, because that’s what the moment demands.” “This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me — to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us, to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States,” Obama said in his concluding remarks.

Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention. (AFP photo)

Hillary Clinton arrives on stage on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (AFP photo)

Barack Obama stands on stage with Hillary Clinton on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (AFP photo)

Earlier commenting on Clinton’s choice for vice president, Tim Kaine, Obama said, “He will be a great vice president. And he’ll make Hillary a better president, just like my dear friend and brother Joe Biden has made me a better president.”

Obama also denounced Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying “America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.”

“Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don’t look to be ruled,” he stated.

“Ronald Reagan called America a shining city on a hill,” Obama recalled. “Donald Trump calls it a divided crime scene that only he can fix.”

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26, July 2016

“Donald Trump fanning flames of fear and hatred” ⁰

US Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has denounced Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “for fanning the flames of fear and hatred” to win the November election. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday night, the senator from Massachusetts made a spirited case for Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for the White House, and blasted Trump’s “hate-filled America.”

“That’s Donald Trump’s America,” said Warren. “An America of fear and hate. An America where we all break apart. Whites against blacks and Latinos. Christians against Muslims and Jews. Straight against gay. Everyone against immigrants. Race, religion, heritage, gender — the more factions the better.”

Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, accused Trump of using the strategy of “divide and conquer” in order to further his agenda. “Dr. Martin Luther King knew it,” she said. “After his march from Selma to Montgomery, he spoke of how segregation was created to keep people divided… Racial hatred was part of keeping the powerful on top.”

She argued that when Americans turn on each other, they lose, and powerful people like Trump continue to have their way in Washington. “When we turn on each other, we can’t unite to fight back against a rigged system,” she said. “Well, I’ve got news for Donald Trump: The American people are not falling for it. … We’ve seen this ugliness before, and we are not going to be Donald Trump’s hate-filled America. Not now, not ever.”

Warren has emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent critics and joined a group of Democrats demanding the businessman publicly release his tax returns, implying that he is lying about his true business value. On Monday night, she described Mr. Trump as “a man who cares only for himself every minute of every day.”

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24, July 2016

President Obama’s half-brother says he will vote for Donald Trump ⁰

US President Barack Obama’s half-brother, Malik Obama, says he is deeply disappointed in America’s current Democratic administration and will vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the upcoming election. “I like Donald Trump because he speaks from the heart,” Malik Obama told The New York Post in an interview from his home in the rural village of Kogelo, Kenya. “’Make America Great Again’ is a great slogan. I would like to meet him.”

Obama is reportedly still registered to vote in the US state of Maryland, where he once resided. The 58-year-old, who identifies himself as a longtime Democrat, said he has switched to “the party of [former US president Abraham] Lincoln” because of his “deep disappointment” in the Obama administration.

“Honestly, I’ll be happy when my brother is out of office, and I will finally be out of the limelight and be able to live like a human being,” Malik said. The administration’s handling of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s email fiasco was what severed him from the Democratic Party, Obama said.

“She should have known better as the custodian of classified information,” said Obama. FBI Director James Comey said earlier this month that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was “extremely careless” over her use of a private email server as secretary of state but would not face criminal charges.

Obama officially endorsed Clinton in early June, saying she is the most qualified for the top job. He had on several occasions hinted at backing Clinton’s White House bid, with his administration going so far as blocking the release of significant documents in her email case.

Malik also said he was annoyed by Obama and Clinton’s way of handling Libya’s former leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi. Obama has described Washington’s failure to control the situation in Libya after Gaddafi’s fall as his “worst mistake.” The Republican Party’s refusal to promote same-sex marriage was another reason that Malik Obama said “appeals” to him.

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22, July 2016

“Trump will win the November presidential election” ⁰

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will win the November presidential election, according to American documentary filmmaker and author Michael Moore. Moore made the prediction at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, during a special edition of HBO’s program “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

“I’m sorry to have to be the buzzkill here so early on, but I think Trump is going to win,” he declared to gasps and boos from the progressive live audience. “Boo if you want.” The 62-year-old liberal filmmaker said Trump would exploit angry white voters in his favor, and Americans are likely to support him like British citizens voted in June to leave the European Union — known as Brexit.

“I live in Michigan. Let me tell you, it’s going to be the Brexit strategy,” Moore said. “The middle of England is Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania,” he said. “And Mitt Romney lost by 64 electoral votes. The total number of electoral votes in those states in the Rust Belt: 64. All [Trump] has to do is win those four states.”

Earlier in the day, Moore told a press conference that Trump “knows how to manipulate a dumbed-down population.” “The population of schools has been wrecked, and the news media is just insipid and stupid and doesn’t give the people the facts about what’s going on,” he stated, adding that American voters are “easily manipulated.” He added that Trump is “not as stupid as he looks. You should take [him] very seriously.”

“He knows the manipulation that’s going on here, and the use of propaganda and the way he’s doing it is just brilliant in the way that he is succeeding and has succeeded,” he continued. A new poll shows that Trump is only trailing his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, with one percentage point in the run-up to the November vote.

According to the NBC News/Survey Monkey Weekly Election Tracking poll released on Tuesday, the former secretary of state has 46 percent of the votes as compared to Trump’s 45 percent, down from last week’s version of the poll that showed Clinton on the lead by 3 percentage points.

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21, July 2016

Plagiarism incident: Donald Trump aide dishes out apology ⁰

A Donald Trump campaign staffer has apologized after the US Republican presidential nominee’s wife was accused of using remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama in a speech broadcast live to millions of people.

Melania Trump’s Monday address to the Republican National Convention contained similarities to a 2008 convention speech by US President Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle. In a written statement on Wednesday evening, Meredith McIver admitted she made a mistake by not checking Michelle Obama’s former speeches.

The statement said McIver offered to resign but the Republican presidential nominee had rejected the offer. McIver explained that she included the parts from Michelle Obama’s speech after listening to Melania read passages from the First Lady’s 2008 speech.

“Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech,” she said.

“I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant,” she stated.

Michelle Obama speaks on August 25, 2008 at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. (Getty Images)

Donald Trump did not accept McIver’s resignation, calling her error “an innocent mistake.” “She made a mistake … we all make mistakes,” Trump told ABC News. In tweets, Trump said he was proud of the fact that his wife’s address “got more attention than any in the history of politics.” Melania Trump had claimed she wrote her speech “with as little help as possible.”

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20, July 2016

UK Labour Party: Jeremy Corbyn to face a weak Blairite ⁰

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will only need to challenge former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith to preserve his position as the opposition leader, following Angela Eagle’s decision to drop out of the race. Registrations for the leadership vote closed on Wednesday, and Smith was the only challenger left in the race. He now faces an uphill battle as the latest YouGov poll has put him 20 points behind Corbyn.

Eagle ended her bid on Tuesday because of a failure to attract enough endorsements from Labour lawmakers to continue. This means Corbyn and Smith have until December 21 to appeal to voters and party members. The results will be announced in a Liverpool conference three days later.

As a Welsh MP and a former BBC producer, Smith is barely known outside Westminster and Wales, but his supporters hope he can dethrone Corbyn. Smith, who pitches himself as the candidate who can “save” the party, also faces criticism for his past as a lobbyist for the pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and his support for the Iraq war.

Corbyn’s opponents challenged his leadership for what they call inadequate efforts to keep the UK in the European Union (EU). Nearly 52 percent of British voters made it clear in a referendum on June 23 that they wanted their country out of the bloc. Corbyn was a fierce opponent of the decision and vouched for a stronger UK role in the EU instead. Smith himself is an admirer of Corbyn and has praised him for “helping Labour discover its radical roots.”

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband urged his supporters on Facebook to back Smith, saying, he “can build a Labour Party and a country of which we can be proud.” Eagle also announced that she will support Smith against Corbyn. Smith has offered her a senior job in his shadow cabinet if he wins.

By Tuesday, more than 55,000 people had paid £25 to vote in the race and the number was expected to rise before the Wednesday deadline. However, many people were left out as they could not pay the registration fee. A fund that had raised more than £14,000 in three days to help those voters was shut down after the party’s National Executive Committe said it was in violation of its rules.

“The figure of £25 is a discriminatory price that will clearly exclude a great many from being able to take part in this vote,” said Lauren Ashby, a party member who had set up the fundraiser.

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